INTRODUCTION

Gasoline direct injection (GDI) engine technology has

received considerable attention over the last few years as a way to
significantly improve fuel efficiency without making a major shift
away from conventional internal combustion technology.
In many respects, GDI technology represents a
further step in the natural evolution of gasoline engine fueling
systems. Each step of this evolution, from mechanically based
carburetion, to throttle body fuel injection, through multi-point
and finally sequential multi-point fuel injection, has taken
advantage of improvements in fuel injector and electronic control
technology to achieve incremental gains in the control of internal
combustion engines.
Mitsubishi,Toyota and Nissan all market four-stroke
GDI engines in Japan.
 Major Objectives of the GDI engine

i) Ultra-low fuel consumption that betters that of even diesel

engines.
ii) Superior power to conventional MPI(Multi-Point
Injection) engines.
iii) To reduce or eliminate detonation/abnormal burning.
iv) To have uniform distribution of fuel in a multicylinder
engine.
v) To improve breathing capacity i.e. volumetric efficiency.

In this seminar I am intending to familiarize the

working of this technology, which has the capability to become the
turning point in the development of diesel engine technology.
 Basically purpose of Carburetion (SI Engine) and
fuel injection (CI Engine) is same i.e. preparation of the
combustible charge.

In case of Carburetion fuel is atomized by

processes relying on the air speed greater than fuel speed at
the fuel nozzle, whereas in fuel injection the fuel speed at
the point of delivery is greater than air speed to atomize the
fuel. The fuel is atomized into very fine droplets. These
droplets vaporize due to heat transfer from the compressed
air and form a fuel-air mixture. By atomizing the fuel into
very fine droplets, it increases the surface area of fuel
droplets resulting in better mixing and subsequent
combustion.
 WHY NOT CARBURETTOR?
All Internal combustion engines burn fuel in air
and every fuel has ideal air ratio at which it will ignite or burn as
completely as possible. The challenge that faces engineers is to
introduce the perfect or precise proportions of fuel and air
(stoichiometric ratio) required for complete combustion.

Petrol has a stoichiometric ratio of 14.7:1(14.7

parts of air with 1 part of fuel by weight). This ratio has to be
maintained under the varying engine loads and conditions.
 The device in which fuel and air is mixed in proper
amount before admission to cylinder is called Carburetor.

Carburetor has following drawbacks -

 Non uniform distribution of mixture in multicylinder
engines
 Loss of volumetric efficiency due to restrictions for the
mixture flow and the possibility of back firing
 Vapour lock
 Perfect air/fuel mixture cannot be obtained
 Lack of throttle response
 Low volumetric efficiency
 Icing – problem in aircraft engines
 Mechanical device
 Compromises on emission
Transition of fuel supply -

The injection of fuel into an SI engine can

be done by employing any of the following method –

Direct injection of fuel into cylinder

Injection of fuel close to inlet valve
Injection of fuel into the inlet manifold
Transition of fuel supply -
 Major characteristics of the GDI engine
Lower fuel consumption and higher output :-
(1) Optimal fuel spray for two-combustion mode -
Using methods and technologies unique to Mitsubishi, the
GDI engine provides both lower fuel consumption and
higher output.
For load conditions required of average urban driving,
fuel is injected late in the compression stroke as in a
diesel engine. By doing so, an ultra-lean combustion is
achieved due to an ideal formation of a stratified air-fuel
mixture. During high performance driving conditions,
fuel is injected during the intake stroke. This enables a
homogeneous air-fuel mixture like that of an
unconventional MPI engines to deliver higher output.
Ultra-lean Combustion Mode -
Under most normal driving conditions, up to speeds of
120km/h, the Mitsubishi GDI engine operates in ultra-lean combustion
mode for less fuel consumption. In this mode, fuel injection occurs at
the latter stage of the compression stroke and ignition occurs at an
ultra-lean air-fuel ratio of 30 to 40 (35 to 55, included Exhaust Gas
Ratio).

Superior Output Mode -

When the GDI engine is operating with higher loads or at
higher speeds, fuel injection takes place during the intake stroke. This
optimizes combustion by ensuring a homogeneous, cooler air-fuel
mixture that minimized the possibility of engine knocking.
(2) The GDI engines foundation technologies :-

There are four technical features that make up the

foundation technology.
 The Upright Straight Intake Port supplies optimal airflow into the cylinder.

 The Curved-top Piston controls combustion by helping shape the air-fuel

mixture.

 The High Pressure Fuel Pump supplies the high pressure needed for direct
in-cylinder injection.

 The High Pressure Swirl Injector controls the vaporization and dispersion
of the fuel spray.
 These fundamental technologies, combined with
other unique fuel control technologies, enabled
Mitsubishi to achieve both of the development
objectives, which were fuel consumption lower than
those of diesel engines and output higher than those of
conventional MPI engines.

The methods are shown below.

In-cylinder Airflow :-
The GDI engine has upright straight
intake ports rather than horizontal intake ports used
in conventional engines. The upright straight intake
ports efficiently direct the airflow down at the
curved-top piston, which redirects the airflow into a
strong reverse tumble for optimal fuel injection
 Fuel Spray :-
Newly developed high-pressure swirl injectors provide
the ideal spray pattern to match each engine operational modes. And
at the same time by applying highly swirling motion to the entire fuel
spray, they enable sufficient fuel atomization that is mandatory for
the GDI even with a relatively low fuel pressure of 50kg/cm2
OPERATION
Fuel is delivered to the fuel rail (pressure accumulator)
by the high-pressure pump. Hydraulic connections join the fuel rail
to the solenoid-operated high-pressure fuel injectors. A closed
control loop comprising the fuel pressure sensor, pressure control
valve and electronic control unit controls the pressure of the
hydraulic system individually for all operating points. The injection
pressure, start of injection and injection lime can be freely selected
(within predefined limits) for each operating point of the engine.
The shape of the injection jet is adapted to the requirements of the
engine.
The direct-injection spark-ignition engine has different
operating modes. The advantage of GDI with its internal mixture
formation is increased compression with improved efficiency.
 Lower part-load range with a very lean mixture
(λ > 1) and targeted stratified charging during operation without
throttle: The fuel is injected directly into the cylinders in the
compression stroke shortly before ignition. The useful speed
range is limited in the case of stratified charging. The advantage
of this stratified operating mode is the reduction in charge cycle
losses caused by operation without throttle. Here, fuel is the only
factor controlling performance. With the homogeneous (λ = 1)
operating mode, the fuel is injected during the induction stroke.
This mode can be used across the entire speed / load range. Here,
as with intake manifold injection, performance is controlled by
charging and ignition. With the homogeneous lean (λ > 1)
operating mode (as with the "homogenous" mode); injection takes
place during the induction stroke. The quantity of fuel is,
however, less (excess air). As with stratified mode, fuel is also the
factor controlling performance in this operating mode.
 Realization of lower fuel consumption :-
In conventional gasoline engines, dispersion of an air-
fuel mixture with the ideal density around the spark plug was very
difficult. However, this is possible in the GDI engine. Furthermore,
extremely low fuel consumption is achieved because ideal
stratification enables fuel injected late in the compression stroke to
maintain an ultra-lean air-fuel mixture.

As a result, extremely stable combustion of ultra-

lean mixture with an air-fuel ratio of 40 (55, EGR included)
is achieved as shown below.
Vehicle Fuel Consumption :-

During Idling -
The GDI engine maintains stable combustion even at low idle speeds.
Moreover, it offers greater flexibility in setting the idle speed.
Compared to conventional engines, its fuel consumption during
idling is 40% less.
 Fuel Consumption during Cruising Drive
At 40km/h, for example, the GDI engine uses 35% less
fuel than a comparably sized conventional engine
Fuel Consumption in City Driving
In Japanese 10E15 mode tests (representative
of typical Japanese urban driving ), the GDI engine used 35% less
fuel than comparably sized conventional gasoline engines.
Moreover, these results indicate that the GDI engine uses less fuel
than even diesel engines.
 Emission Control

Previous efforts to burn a lean air-fuel

mixture have resulted in difficulty to control NOx
emission. However, in the case of GDI engine, 97% NOx
reduction is achieved by utilizing high-rate EGR (Exhaust
Gas Ratio) such as 30% that is allowed by the stable
combustion unique to the GDI as well as a use of a newly
developed lean-NOx catalyst.
Realization of Superior Output :-

To achieve power superior to conventional

MPI engines, the GDI engine has a high compression
ratio and a highly efficient air intake system, which
result in improved volumetric efficiency.
Improved Volumetric Efficiency
Compared to conventional engines, the
Mitsubishi GDI engine provides better volumetric efficiency.
The upright straight intake ports enable smoother air intake.
And the vaporization of fuel, which occurs in the cylinder at a
late stage of the compression stroke, cools the air for better
volumetric efficiency.
Increased Compression Ratio
The cooling of air inside the cylinder by the
vaporization of fuel has another benefit, to minimize
engine knocking. This allows a high compression ratio
of 12, and thus improved combustion efficiency.
Engine Performance
Compared to conventional MPI engines of a
comparable size, the GDI engine provides approximately 10%
greater output and torque at all speeds.
Vehicle Acceleration
In high-output mode, the GDI
engine provides outstanding acceleration.
The following chart compares the
performance of the GDI engine with a
conventional MPI engine.
 The difference between new GDI and current MPI

For fuel supply, conventional engines use a fuel

injection system, which replaced the carburetion system.
MPI or Multi-Point Injection, where the fuel is
injected to each intake port, is currently the one of the most
widely used systems.
However, even in MPI engines there are limits to
fuel supply response and the combustion control because the
fuel mixes with air before entering the cylinder.
Mitsubishi set out to push those limits by
developing an engine where gasoline is directly injected into
the cylinder as in a diesel engine, and moreover, where
injection timings are precisely controlled to match load
conditions.
 Characteristics of GDI
The GDI engine achieved the following outstanding
characteristics.
•Extremely precise control of fuel supply to achieve fuel
efficiency that exceeds that of diesel engines by enabling
combustion of an ultra-lean mixture supply.
•Very efficient intake and relatively high compression ratio
unique to the GDI engine deliver both high performance and
response that surpasses those of conventional MPI engines.
 Improved fuel conversion economy (up to 25% potential
improvement, resulting from :-
Less pumping loss (unthrottled , stratified mode);
Higher compression ratio (charge cooling with injection
during induction
Lower octane requirement (charge cooling with injection
during induction);
Increased volumetric efficiency (charge cooling with injection
during induction);
Improved transient response.
Less acceleration-enrichment required (no manifold film)
More precise air-fuel ratio control
More rapid starting;
Less cold-start over-fueling required.
Extended EGR tolerance limit (to minimize the use of
throttling)
Selective emissions advantages
Reduced CO2 emissions
Major Specifications
Engine Diagram
 Technical features

 Upright straight intake ports for optimal airflow control

in the cylinder
 Curved-top pistons for better combustion
 High pressure fuel pump to feed pressurized fuel into the
injectors
 High-pressure swirl injectors for optimum air-fuel
mixture
CONCLUSION
The world need to protect the environment,
and the more stringent emission regulations that evolved year
after year have challenged vehicle manufacturers among other
things to produce vehicles that not only conform to
regulations but also consistently exceed them . The GDI
engine does this and has technology (adaptive learning) to
ensure that as the engine ages it will continue to conform by
adjusting itself as the engine components and emission devises
wear. It is expected that by the year 2005 when more stringent
emissions regulations will be enforced in the market ,
technologies like that offered with the GDI engine will be in a
position to ensure that air quality standards and emissions
levels can be meet.
References

 Internal Combustion Engines By: V Ganesan

 Internal Combustion Engines By: Anand &
Domkundwar.
 Wikipedia
 Google
 www.howstuffworks.com
 www.mitsubishi-np.in
 www.autoworld.com
 www.visionengineer.com
 NK
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